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Hosea 9:14 - Amos 7:7
New International Version
Hosea 9:14 - Amos 7:7
New International Version
14 Give them, Lord—
what will you give them?
Give them wombs that miscarry
and breasts that are dry.(A)
15 “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal,(B)
I hated them there.
Because of their sinful deeds,(C)
I will drive them out of my house.
I will no longer love them;(D)
all their leaders are rebellious.(E)
16 Ephraim(F) is blighted,
their root is withered,
they yield no fruit.(G)
Even if they bear children,
I will slay(H) their cherished offspring.”
17 My God will reject(I) them
because they have not obeyed(J) him;
they will be wanderers among the nations.(K)
10 Israel was a spreading vine;(L)
he brought forth fruit for himself.
As his fruit increased,
he built more altars;(M)
as his land prospered,(N)
he adorned his sacred stones.(O)
2 Their heart is deceitful,(P)
and now they must bear their guilt.(Q)
The Lord will demolish their altars(R)
and destroy their sacred stones.(S)
3 Then they will say, “We have no king
because we did not revere the Lord.
But even if we had a king,
what could he do for us?”
4 They make many promises,
take false oaths(T)
and make agreements;(U)
therefore lawsuits spring up
like poisonous weeds(V) in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in Samaria fear
for the calf-idol(W) of Beth Aven.[a](X)
Its people will mourn over it,
and so will its idolatrous priests,(Y)
those who had rejoiced over its splendor,
because it is taken from them into exile.(Z)
6 It will be carried to Assyria(AA)
as tribute(AB) for the great king.(AC)
Ephraim will be disgraced;(AD)
Israel will be ashamed(AE) of its foreign alliances.
7 Samaria’s king will be destroyed,(AF)
swept away like a twig on the surface of the waters.
8 The high places(AG) of wickedness[b](AH) will be destroyed—
it is the sin of Israel.
Thorns(AI) and thistles will grow up
and cover their altars.(AJ)
Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!”(AK)
and to the hills, “Fall on us!”(AL)
9 “Since the days of Gibeah,(AM) you have sinned,(AN) Israel,
and there you have remained.[c]
Will not war again overtake
the evildoers in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will punish(AO) them;
nations will be gathered against them
to put them in bonds for their double sin.
11 Ephraim is a trained heifer
that loves to thresh;
so I will put a yoke(AP)
on her fair neck.
I will drive Ephraim,
Judah must plow,
and Jacob must break up the ground.
12 Sow(AQ) righteousness(AR) for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;(AS)
for it is time to seek(AT) the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness(AU) on you.
13 But you have planted wickedness,
you have reaped evil,(AV)
you have eaten the fruit of deception.(AW)
Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors,(AX)
14 the roar of battle will rise against your people,
so that all your fortresses will be devastated(AY)—
as Shalman(AZ) devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.(BA)
15 So will it happen to you, Bethel,
because your wickedness is great.
When that day dawns,
the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.(BB)
God’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child,(BC) I loved(BD) him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.(BE)
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.[d](BF)
They sacrificed to the Baals(BG)
and they burned incense to images.(BH)
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;(BI)
but they did not realize
it was I who healed(BJ) them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.(BK)
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed(BL) them.(BM)
5 “Will they not return to Egypt(BN)
and will not Assyria(BO) rule over them
because they refuse to repent?(BP)
6 A sword(BQ) will flash in their cities;
it will devour(BR) their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn(BS) from me.(BT)
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8 “How can I give you up,(BU) Ephraim?(BV)
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?(BW)
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion(BX) is aroused.(BY)
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,(BZ)
nor will I devastate(CA) Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man(CB)—
the Holy One(CC) among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
he will roar(CD) like a lion.(CE)
When he roars,
his children will come trembling(CF) from the west.(CG)
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria,(CH) fluttering like doves.(CI)
I will settle them in their homes,”(CJ)
declares the Lord.
Israel’s Sin
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(CK)
Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
even against the faithful(CL) Holy One.[e](CM)
12 [f]1 Ephraim(CN) feeds on the wind;(CO)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(CP)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(CQ)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(CR)
2 The Lord has a charge(CS) to bring against Judah;(CT)
he will punish(CU) Jacob[g] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(CV)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(CW)
as a man he struggled(CX) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(CY)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(CZ)
6 But you must return(DA) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(DB)
and wait for your God always.(DC)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(DD)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(DE)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(DF)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;(DG)
I will make you live in tents(DH) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(DI) through them.”(DJ)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(DK)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(DL)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(DM)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[h];(DN)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(DO)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(DP)
by a prophet he cared for him.(DQ)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(DR)
and will repay him for his contempt.(DS)
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
13 When Ephraim spoke, people trembled;(DT)
he was exalted(DU) in Israel.
But he became guilty of Baal worship(DV) and died.
2 Now they sin more and more;
they make(DW) idols for themselves from their silver,(DX)
cleverly fashioned images,
all of them the work of craftsmen.(DY)
It is said of these people,
“They offer human sacrifices!
They kiss[i](DZ) calf-idols!(EA)”
3 Therefore they will be like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears,(EB)
like chaff(EC) swirling from a threshing floor,(ED)
like smoke(EE) escaping through a window.
4 “But I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.(EF)
You shall acknowledge(EG) no God but me,(EH)
no Savior(EI) except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,(EJ)
in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
when they were satisfied, they became proud;(EK)
then they forgot(EL) me.(EM)
7 So I will be like a lion(EN) to them,
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs,(EO)
I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion(EP) I will devour them—
a wild animal will tear them apart.(EQ)
9 “You are destroyed, Israel,
because you are against me,(ER) against your helper.(ES)
10 Where is your king,(ET) that he may save you?
Where are your rulers in all your towns,
of whom you said,
‘Give me a king and princes’?(EU)
11 So in my anger I gave you a king,(EV)
and in my wrath I took him away.(EW)
12 The guilt of Ephraim is stored up,
his sins are kept on record.(EX)
13 Pains as of a woman in childbirth(EY) come to him,
but he is a child without wisdom;
when the time(EZ) arrives,
he doesn’t have the sense to come out of the womb.(FA)
14 “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave;(FB)
I will redeem them from death.(FC)
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave, is your destruction?(FD)
“I will have no compassion,
15 even though he thrives(FE) among his brothers.
An east wind(FF) from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.(FG)
His storehouse will be plundered(FH)
of all its treasures.
16 The people of Samaria(FI) must bear their guilt,(FJ)
because they have rebelled(FK) against their God.
They will fall by the sword;(FL)
their little ones will be dashed(FM) to the ground,
their pregnant women(FN) ripped open.”[j]
Repentance to Bring Blessing
14 [k]Return,(FO) Israel, to the Lord your God.
Your sins(FP) have been your downfall!(FQ)
2 Take words with you
and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
“Forgive(FR) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(FS)
that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[l](FT)
3 Assyria cannot save us;(FU)
we will not mount warhorses.(FV)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(FW)
to what our own hands have made,(FX)
for in you the fatherless(FY) find compassion.”
4 “I will heal(FZ) their waywardness(GA)
and love them freely,(GB)
for my anger has turned away(GC) from them.
5 I will be like the dew(GD) to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily.(GE)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(GF)
he will send down his roots;(GG)
6 his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(GH)
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(GI)
7 People will dwell again in his shade;(GJ)
they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(GK) like the vine—
Israel’s fame will be like the wine(GL) of Lebanon.(GM)
8 Ephraim, what more have I[m] to do with idols?(GN)
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(GO)
your fruitfulness comes from me.”
9 Who is wise?(GP) Let them realize these things.
Who is discerning? Let them understand.(GQ)
The ways of the Lord are right;(GR)
the righteous walk(GS) in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
1 The word of the Lord that came(GT) to Joel(GU) son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts
2 Hear this,(GV) you elders;(GW)
listen, all who live in the land.(GX)
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?(GY)
3 Tell it to your children,(GZ)
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.(HA)
4 What the locust(HB) swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left(HC)
other locusts[n] have eaten.(HD)
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;(HE)
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched(HF) from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;(HG)
it has the teeth(HH) of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste(HI) my vines
and ruined my fig trees.(HJ)
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth(HK)
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings(HL)
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,(HM)
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;(HN)
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine(HO) is dried up,
the olive oil fails.(HP)
11 Despair, you farmers,(HQ)
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,(HR)
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.(HS)
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;(HT)
the pomegranate,(HU) the palm and the apple[o] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.(HV)
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
A Call to Lamentation
13 Put on sackcloth,(HW) you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister(HX) before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings(HY)
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;(HZ)
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land(IA)
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out(IB) to the Lord.(IC)
15 Alas for that(ID) day!
For the day of the Lord(IE) is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[p](IF)
16 Has not the food been cut off(IG)
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness(IH)
from the house of our God?(II)
17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.[q](IJ)
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;(IK)
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.(IL)
19 To you, Lord, I call,(IM)
for fire(IN) has devoured the pastures(IO) in the wilderness
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;(IP)
the streams of water have dried up(IQ)
and fire has devoured the pastures(IR) in the wilderness.
An Army of Locusts
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord(IV) is coming.
It is close at hand(IW)—
2 a day of darkness(IX) and gloom,(IY)
a day of clouds(IZ) and blackness.(JA)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army(JB) comes,
such as never was in ancient times(JC)
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire(JD) devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,(JE)
behind them, a desert waste(JF)—
nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses;(JG)
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots(JH)
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire(JI) consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;(JJ)
every face turns pale.(JK)
7 They charge like warriors;(JL)
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,(JM)
not swerving(JN) from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;(JO)
like thieves they enter through the windows.(JP)
10 Before them the earth shakes,(JQ)
the heavens tremble,(JR)
the sun and moon are darkened,(JS)
and the stars no longer shine.(JT)
11 The Lord(JU) thunders(JV)
at the head of his army;(JW)
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;(JX)
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?(JY)
Rend Your Heart
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return(JZ) to me with all your heart,(KA)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart(KB)
and not your garments.(KC)
Return(KD) to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,(KE)
slow to anger and abounding in love,(KF)
and he relents from sending calamity.(KG)
14 Who knows? He may turn(KH) and relent(KI)
and leave behind a blessing(KJ)—
grain offerings and drink offerings(KK)
for the Lord your God.
15 Blow the trumpet(KL) in Zion,(KM)
declare a holy fast,(KN)
call a sacred assembly.(KO)
16 Gather the people,
consecrate(KP) the assembly;
bring together the elders,(KQ)
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom(KR) leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister(KS) before the Lord,
weep(KT) between the portico and the altar.(KU)
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,(KV)
a byword(KW) among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?(KX)’”
The Lord’s Answer
19 The Lord replied[r] to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine(LA) and olive oil,(LB)
enough to satisfy you fully;(LC)
never again will I make you
an object of scorn(LD) to the nations.
20 “I will drive the northern horde(LE) far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench(LF) will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
21 Do not be afraid,(LG) land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.(LH)
Surely the Lord has done great things!(LI)
22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.(LJ)
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree(LK) and the vine(LL) yield their riches.(LM)
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice(LN) in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.(LO)
He sends you abundant showers,(LP)
both autumn(LQ) and spring rains,(LR) as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow(LS) with new wine(LT) and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts(LU) have eaten(LV)—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm[s]—
my great army(LW) that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,(LX)
and you will praise(LY) the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders(LZ) for you;
never again will my people be shamed.(MA)
27 Then you will know(MB) that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord(MC) your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.(MD)
The Day of the Lord
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit(ME) on all people.(MF)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(MG)
your old men will dream dreams,(MH)
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants,(MI) both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(MJ)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(MK)
and on the earth,(ML)
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness(MM)
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.(MN)
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord(MO) will be saved;(MP)
for on Mount Zion(MQ) and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,(MR)
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors(MS)
whom the Lord calls.[t](MT)
The Nations Judged
3 [u]“In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes(MU) of Judah(MV) and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather(MW) all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[v](MX)
There I will put them on trial(MY)
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered(MZ) my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots(NA) for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine(NB) to drink.
4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon(NC) and all you regions of Philistia?(ND) Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.(NE) 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[w](NF) 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,(NG) that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them,(NH) and I will return(NI) on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons(NJ) and daughters to the people of Judah,(NK) and they will sell them to the Sabeans,(NL) a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.(NM)
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!(NN)
Rouse the warriors!(NO)
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks(NP) into spears.(NQ)
Let the weakling(NR) say,
“I am strong!”(NS)
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble(NT) there.
Bring down your warriors,(NU) Lord!
12 “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,(NV)
for there I will sit
to judge(NW) all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,(NX)
for the harvest(NY) is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,(NZ)
for the winepress(OA) is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”
14 Multitudes,(OB) multitudes
in the valley(OC) of decision!
For the day of the Lord(OD) is near
in the valley of decision.(OE)
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.(OF)
16 The Lord will roar(OG) from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;(OH)
the earth and the heavens will tremble.(OI)
But the Lord will be a refuge(OJ) for his people,
a stronghold(OK) for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s People
17 “Then you will know(OL) that I, the Lord your God,(OM)
dwell in Zion,(ON) my holy hill.(OO)
Jerusalem will be holy;(OP)
never again will foreigners invade her.(OQ)
18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,(OR)
and the hills will flow with milk;(OS)
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.(OT)
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house(OU)
and will water the valley of acacias.[x](OV)
19 But Egypt(OW) will be desolate,
Edom(OX) a desert waste,
because of violence(OY) done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever(OZ)
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?(PA)
No, I will not.(PB)”
The Lord dwells in Zion!(PC)
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(PD)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(PE) when Uzziah(PF) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(PG) son of Jehoash[y] was king of Israel.(PH)
2 He said:
“The Lord roars(PI) from Zion
and thunders(PJ) from Jerusalem;(PK)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel(PL) withers.”(PM)
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Damascus,(PN)
even for four, I will not relent.(PO)
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire(PP) on the house of Hazael(PQ)
that will consume the fortresses(PR) of Ben-Hadad.(PS)
5 I will break down the gate(PT) of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in[z] the Valley of Aven[aa]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(PU)
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(PV)”
says the Lord.(PW)
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Gaza,(PX)
even for four, I will not relent.(PY)
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,(PZ)
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king[ab] of Ashdod(QA)
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(QB) against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines(QC) are dead,”(QD)
says the Sovereign Lord.(QE)
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Tyre,(QF)
even for four, I will not relent.(QG)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(QH)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.(QI)”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Edom,(QJ)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(QK)
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,(QL)
12 I will send fire on Teman(QM)
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(QN)”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Ammon,(QO)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(QP) of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(QQ)
that will consume(QR) her fortresses
amid war cries(QS) on the day of battle,
amid violent winds(QT) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[ac] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,(QU)”
says the Lord.(QV)
2 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Moab,(QW)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes(QX)
the bones of Edom’s king,
2 I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[ad](QY)
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war cries(QZ) and the blast of the trumpet.(RA)
3 I will destroy her ruler(RB)
and kill all her officials with him,”(RC)
says the Lord.(RD)
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Judah,(RE)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(RF) of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,(RG)
because they have been led astray(RH) by false gods,[ae](RI)
the gods[af] their ancestors followed,(RJ)
5 I will send fire(RK) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses(RL) of Jerusalem.(RM)”
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.(RN)
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.(RO)
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.(RP)
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.(RQ)
In the house of their god
they drink wine(RR) taken as fines.(RS)
9 “Yet I destroyed the Amorites(RT) before them,
though they were tall(RU) as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.(RV)
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots(RW) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(RX)
and led(RY) you forty years in the wilderness(RZ)
to give you the land of the Amorites.(SA)
11 “I also raised up prophets(SB) from among your children
and Nazirites(SC) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(SD)
13 “Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(SE)
14 The swift will not escape,(SF)
the strong(SG) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.(SH)
15 The archer(SI) will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman(SJ) will not save his life.(SK)
16 Even the bravest warriors(SL)
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you(SM)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:(SN)
2 “You only have I chosen(SO)
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(SP) you
for all your sins.(SQ)”
3 Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar(SR) in the thicket
when it has no prey?(SS)
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait(ST) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
6 When a trumpet(SU) sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster(SV) comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?(SW)
7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan(SX)
to his servants the prophets.(SY)
8 The lion(SZ) has roared(TA)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?(TB)
9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod(TC)
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;(TD)
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,(TE)” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortresses(TF)
what they have plundered(TG) and looted.”
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.(TH)”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s(TI) mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric[ag] from a couch.[ah](TJ)”
13 “Hear this and testify(TK) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14 “On the day I punish(TL) Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;(TM)
the horns(TN) of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house(TO)
along with the summer house;(TP)
the houses adorned with ivory(TQ) will be destroyed
and the mansions(TR) will be demolished,(TS)”
declares the Lord.(TT)
Israel Has Not Returned to God
4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(TU) on Mount Samaria,(TV)
you women who oppress the poor(TW) and crush the needy(TX)
and say to your husbands,(TY) “Bring us some drinks!(TZ)”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
“The time(UA) will surely come
when you will be taken away(UB) with hooks,(UC)
the last of you with fishhooks.[ai]
3 You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,(UD)
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[aj]”
declares the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethel(UE) and sin;
go to Gilgal(UF) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(UG)
your tithes(UH) every three years.[ak](UI)
5 Burn leavened bread(UJ) as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings(UK)—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.
6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(UL)
7 “I also withheld(UM) rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.(UN)
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water(UO)
but did not get enough(UP) to drink,
yet you have not returned(UQ) to me,”
declares the Lord.(UR)
9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.(US)
Locusts(UT) devoured your fig and olive trees,(UU)
yet you have not returned(UV) to me,”
declares the Lord.
10 “I sent plagues(UW) among you
as I did to Egypt.(UX)
I killed your young men(UY) with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(UZ) of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,”(VA)
declares the Lord.(VB)
11 “I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.(VC)
You were like a burning stick(VD) snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(VE)
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”
13 He who forms the mountains,(VF)
who creates the wind,(VG)
and who reveals his thoughts(VH) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth(VI)—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.(VJ)
A Lament and Call to Repentance
5 Hear this word, Israel, this lament(VK) I take up concerning you:
2 “Fallen is Virgin(VL) Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.(VM)”
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.(VN)”
4 This is what the Lord says to Israel:
“Seek(VO) me and live;(VP)
5 do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(VQ)
do not journey to Beersheba.(VR)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[al](VS)”
6 Seek(VT) the Lord and live,(VU)
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(VV)
it will devour them,
and Bethel(VW) will have no one to quench it.(VX)
7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness(VY)
and cast righteousness(VZ) to the ground.(WA)
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(WB)
who turns midnight into dawn(WC)
and darkens day into night,(WD)
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(WE)
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.(WF)
10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(WG)
and detest the one who tells the truth.(WH)
11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(WI)
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(WJ)
you will not live in them;(WK)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.(WL)
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.(WM)
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(WN)
and deprive the poor(WO) of justice in the courts.(WP)
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet(WQ) in such times,
for the times are evil.(WR)
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.(WS)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(WT) love good;(WU)
maintain justice in the courts.(WV)
Perhaps(WW) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(WX)
on the remnant(WY) of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailing(WZ) in all the streets(XA)
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(XB) will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(XC) in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through(XD) your midst,”
says the Lord.(XE)
The Day of the Lord
18 Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!(XF)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(XG)
That day will be darkness,(XH) not light.(XI)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,(XJ)
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.(XK)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(XL) not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(XM)
21 “I hate,(XN) I despise your religious festivals;(XO)
your assemblies(XP) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(XQ) and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.(XR)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.(XS)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.(XT)
24 But let justice(XU) roll on like a river,
righteousness(XV) like a never-failing stream!(XW)
25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(XX) and offerings
forty years(XY) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,(XZ)
the star of your god[am]—
which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(YA) beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(YB)
Woe to the Complacent
6 Woe to you(YC) who are complacent(YD) in Zion,
and to you who feel secure(YE) on Mount Samaria,(YF)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!(YG)
2 Go to Kalneh(YH) and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,(YI)
and then go down to Gath(YJ) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(YK) your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.(YL)
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.(YM)
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.(YN)
5 You strum away on your harps(YO) like David
and improvise on musical instruments.(YP)
6 You drink wine(YQ) by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve(YR) over the ruin of Joseph.(YS)
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(YT)
your feasting and lounging will end.(YU)
The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel
8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(YV)—the Lord God Almighty declares:
“I abhor(YW) the pride of Jacob(YX)
and detest his fortresses;(YY)
I will deliver up(YZ) the city
and everything in it.(ZA)”
9 If ten(ZB) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[an](ZC) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(ZD) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
11 For the Lord has given the command,
and he will smash(ZE) the great house(ZF) into pieces
and the small house into bits.(ZG)
12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
Does one plow the sea[ao] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(ZH)
and the fruit of righteousness(ZI) into bitterness(ZJ)—
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[ap]
and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[aq] by our own strength?(ZK)”
14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nation(ZL) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamath(ZM) to the valley of the Arabah.(ZN)”
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(ZO) He was preparing swarms of locusts(ZP) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean,(ZQ) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(ZR) He is so small!(ZS)”
3 So the Lord relented.(ZT)
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(ZU)
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;(ZV) it dried up the great deep and devoured(ZW) the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(ZX)”
6 So the Lord relented.(ZY)
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(ZZ)
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[ar] with a plumb line[as] in his hand.
Footnotes
- Hosea 10:5 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 10:8 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see verse 5.
- Hosea 10:9 Or there a stand was taken
- Hosea 11:2 Septuagint; Hebrew them
- Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
- Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
- Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
- Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Hosea 13:2 Or “Men who sacrifice / kiss
- Hosea 13:16 In Hebrew texts this verse (13:16) is numbered 14:1.
- Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
- Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
- Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim
- Joel 1:4 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
- Joel 1:12 Or possibly apricot
- Joel 1:15 Hebrew Shaddai
- Joel 1:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Joel 2:19 Or Lord will be jealous … / and take pity … / 19 The Lord will reply
- Joel 2:25 The precise meaning of the four Hebrew words used here for locusts is uncertain.
- Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.
- Joel 3:1 In Hebrew texts 3:1-21 is numbered 4:1-21.
- Joel 3:2 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges; also in verse 12.
- Joel 3:5 Or palaces
- Joel 3:18 Or Valley of Shittim
- Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
- Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
- Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
- Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
- Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
- Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
- Amos 2:4 Or by lies
- Amos 2:4 Or lies
- Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
- Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
- Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
- Amos 4:4 Or days
- Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
- Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
- Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
- Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
- Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
- Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
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